A Chance to See
by emication
Summary: It's a Wonderful Life, Gundam Wing style.
1. Prologue

Title: A Chance to See - Prologue  
Author: Emily, roguegirl@att.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Warnings: shonen ai in the forms of 1+2+1 and alluded 3+4+3, language, contemplations of death, weird time-shifts and alternate universe situations, EW-OVA paraphrasing -=sweatdrop=-, angst (almost forgot that one)  
Notes: "Speech" - 'Thought' - *Emphasis* - [Flashback]  
Comments: While I am writing the story, the idea is actually Sharon's. Visit her site at www.zerotwofan.com and take a look around. -=coughdoujincoverscanscough=- It's sorta-kinda a fusion with "It's a Wonderful Life", but since I never saw the second half of the movie, there is no way in hell I could follow it. ^_^ If you like this genre, check out Yamato's "No Need For Heero" in the serious fic section of www.heerosferret.com (it's good; trust me). Without further ado, enjoy.  
  
"One man's life touches so many others, when he's not there it leaves an awfully big hole."  
  
"You've been given a great gift, George. A chance to see what the world would be like without you."  
  
~Clarence, "It's A Wonderful Life"  
  
*~**~*  
  
Heero Yuy clenched his teeth together and manuevered Wing ZERO's beam saber to block the attack of Nataku's trident. Wufei had said that he always wanted to face him like this, and their battle had moved from L-3X18999 to just above the very edge of Earth's atmosphere, and were getter closer and closer to the Earth with each attack and dodge. The only difference was before Heero had been piloting a Leo[1] and now he was in his customized Wing ZERO.  
  
"I won't acept Relena pacifistic ideals! It's a mistake to believe that you can achieve peace just by laying aside the weapons and putting away the soldiers!" Wufei pressed his Gundam for another thrust of the beam trident, and Heero's beam saber was right there to block it.  
  
ZERO seemed to be having a hard time deciding whether the other Gundam was an enemy or not. It clearly recognized that Wufei wasn't *supposed* to be an enemy, but his actions were making him seem like one. "Does that justify Mariemaia's dictatorship?"  
  
"She'll act as an anchor to the souls of warriors!"  
  
'He can't seriously believe that,' Heero thought. 'Wufei of all of us shouldn't be this naive.' "It might be acceptable for now, but all Mariemaia can do is repeat history! A history full of sorrow and misery... If we don't stop it right now, solders like us will be needed again. When that happens, this tragic history will go on forever." When Wufei didn't respond, Heero continued, voice changing from harsh to melancholy. "Tell me, Wufei: How many more do we have to kill? How many times do I have to kill that little girl and her dog? ZERO won't tell me anything. Tell me, Wufei..."   
  
Heero killed the propulsion, switching off the thrusters and folding in the gigantic, Gundanium-feathered wings of Wing ZERO. He was in free fall that slowed slightly when the Gundam hit a surface of water, slowly sinking to the oceanfloor.  
  
["Niisan, are you lost?"  
  
"I've been lost ever since the day I was born."]  
  
Heero slouched forward in the restraints, closing his eyes to fight the images, but they kept coming.  
  
["Niisan, are you lost?"  
  
"Niisan, are you lost?"  
  
"Niisan, are you lost?"]  
  
He had failed, and because of that, an innocent little girl died. She had done *nothing* to deserve to meet the early death Heero gave her. A death caused by his own miscalculations and stupidity.  
  
["Life's cheap. Especially mine."]  
  
["Niisan, are you lost?"]  
  
"What now, ZERO?" Heero asked, slightly opening his eyes so a sliver of Prussian blue was peering out through messy, chocolate hair. "Yeah, we can stay here for a little bit. The others won't need our help; they never did."  
  
He reached forward and flipped on the viewscreens. Murky blue-gray water filled his vision with silvery fish darting back and forth in front of the Gundam - a strange, new object in their world. 'They never did,' Heero mentally repeated.  
  
["Heero *please*!" Duo was begging him to go to a holiday celebration slash pilot reunion that Quatre was holding. Heero had been extremely intent on not going, but Duo was trying his hardest to pursuade him otherwise. "Kuso, Heero, you're *expected* to go. It wouldn't be a pilot reunion if only four of the five guys showed up! C'mon, it'll be fun!"  
  
Heero levelled the best glare he could summon at the braided American. He hoped it would be enough and the boy would leave him alone, but Duo didn't seem fazed at all. His amethyst eyes took on a more solemn expression. "Onegai? We need you there, Heero. Damn it, *I* need you there."  
  
The Japanese pilot felt his attention shift to Duo at the last sentence. 'What is he saying?' "Nani? Naze?"  
  
Duo looked away abruptly, refusing to meet eye contact with the other former-Gundam pilot. "I..." Duo seemed apprehensive. It was like he suddenly found a difficulty with words that had always seemed to come so quickly, easily, and practically pointlessly before. "I... Suki da, Heero."  
  
"Aa..." Heero heard himself reply dumbly. His mind was a wash of emotions, some he didn't like and others that he couldn't even identify. It took all of his control to will them down, more or less come up with a more decent response.   
  
Duo was blushing furiously. "I got to go," he said quickly and hurried out of the room.]  
  
The party had never happened because a couple days later Relena was kidnapped and soon after Mariemaia, with the Barton Group in tow, began their militaristic campaign to take over the Earth Sphere United Nations.  
  
"We're not needed, ZERO; we just get in the way. If only I hadn't been born. Then...  
  
["Niisan, are you lost?"]  
  
...then the world would have benefitted from it."  
  
The cockpit suddenly filled with a bright, yellow light, and when it faded, Heero was no longer submurged in Wing ZERO. He was standing in the middle of an intersection in a city he didn't recognize. He slowly turned in a circle, taking in his surroundings. There were inactive Mobile Suits and what looked like war monuments. The building that had been behind him had an elaborate, granite staircase leading to the main entrance, and it took Heero a moment to realize that it was Romefeller Headquarters.  
  
What he had said just moments before in ZERO's cockpit dawned on him; he knew where - when? - he was, and that ZERO was trying to show him something.  
  
*~**~*  
  
Tsuzuku  
  
[1] IIRC...I'm 99.999% sure he was in a Leo. Too lazy to check. ^_~ 


	2. Part One

Title: A Chance to See - Part 1  
Author: Emily, roguegirl@att.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Warnings: shonen ai in the forms of 1+2+1 and alluded 3+4+3, language, contemplations of death, weird time-shifts and alternate universe situations, EW-OVA paraphrasing -=sweatdrop=-, angst (almost forgot that one)  
Notes: "Speech" - 'Thought' - *Emphasis* - [Flashback]  
Comments: While I am writing the story, the idea is actually Sharon's. Visit her site at www.zerotwofan.com and take a look around. -=coughdoujincoverscanscough=- It's sorta-kinda a fusion with "It's a Wonderful Life", but since I never saw the second half of the movie, there is no way in hell I could follow it. ^_^ If you like this genre, check out Yamato's "No Need For Heero" in the serious fic section of www.heerosferret.com (it's good; trust me). Without further ado, enjoy.  
  
"One man's life touches so many others, when he's not there it leaves an awfully big hole."  
  
"You've been given a great gift, George. A chance to see what the world would be like without you."  
  
~Clarence, "It's A Wonderful Life"  
  
*~**~*  
  
From the bitter cold and the gaudy decorations strewn about, Heero Yuy knew that it was still Christmas time...most likely of AC 196, but because of ZERO's sick and distorted sense of humor, he wasn't sure of the particular circumstances. 'Maybe this really *is* a world where I never existed,' he thought, but quickly shook it away. 'That's not possible. I probably passed out and am hallucinating this whole thing.'  
  
"Excuse me, sir, can I help you?" Heero recognized the smooth, purring voice and reflexively pulled out his gun, turning around and pointing it in the direction the voice came from.  
  
"Dorothy Catalonia." It was more of a statement than a greeting. "What do you want?"  
  
The girl swiped a finger over a forked eyebrow and made a tsking sound. "You must have some *nerve* coming to Romefeller and threatening me like that. Grandfather wouldn't be pleased."  
  
"Dermail is dead," Heero replied, sight not wavering and keeping his voice as flat as possible.  
  
Dorothy had an amused but predatory expression on her face. "Au contraire[1], he is *very* much alive and *very* much in control of this miserable little Earth *and* her daughter colonies. Unless you think that miserable *pilot* succeeded in his latest assassination attempt." She sighed dramatically. "At least we have his Gundam. Now, what did you say your name was?"  
  
"I didn't."  
  
"You must be a soldier of some sort; I can tell from your stance..."  
  
"Who is the pilot attempting to assassinate Dermail?" 'It could be any of them... Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei...'  
  
"It's public knowledge; he's been a renegade for a full year now. Not to mention the price on his head... Your name *before* I give one to you. Besides, you already seem to know mine."  
  
'Give her my name and if she doesn't recognize it, better for me; if she does, I can always shoot her.' "Heero Yuy."  
  
Dorothy laughed sharply. "Same as that colonial leader, is it?"  
  
Heero's eye twitched. "Yes."  
  
"You're parents must've had *quite* the sense of humor. The renegade is Wufei Chang, pilot of Gundam 05, sent from the L-5 cluster. If you happen to see him, he'll be worth a lot to you."  
  
The Japanese pilot smirked and put his gun away. "Maybe I should go find him then." He turned around and left. 'If Wufei's keeping an eye on this place, I should let him find me. There's no way he would let someone that pulled a gun on Catalonia leave his attention.'  
  
*~**~*  
  
Heero knew Wufei was right behind him even before he felt the cold steel of the Chinese pilot's katana pressed against his throat. Stealth hadn't been Wufei's specialty; it was Duo's. "You're looking for me," Wufei growled. It wasn't a question.  
  
"Yes..." Heero answered cautiously, wondering how much the Altron pilot would believe. "You and the others."  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"To help you. The world isn't supposed to be like this."  
  
Wufei snorted and relaxed his hold on the sword but still held it cautiously. "Who the *hell* are you and where do your loyalties lie?"  
  
Heero rotated slowly, holding his hands up to show he wasn't going for a weapon anytime soon. "Heero Yuy...a Gundam pilot sent by L-1 from a different time."  
  
The other pilot narrowed his eyes skeptically. "There was no pilot from L-1. J hadn't found the right person to do it[2]."  
  
"Th-There's only the four of you?"  
  
"Was. Now there's only one: me."  
  
Heero felt a pang in his heart. 'Duo...no...'  
  
"Look...I don't know what to think about you, but I can tell that you aren't an enemy. Maybe I'm hallucinating right now, but if you are an illusion, maybe I could humor myself and fill you in."  
  
'Wufei believes me...or at least he wants to. He's fighting alone, now. He always was separate from the rest of us, but now he's actually alone.' "What happened to Duo? And Trowa and Quatre?"  
  
The Chinese boy sighed, pulling a slip of paper out of his pocket. "I'm a wanted man, so I can't go with you, but you'll find Quatre here." 'It's an address and a room number. An apartment complex of some sort? Wufei makes it sound like Quatre was dead...unless he's working for OZ...' "Come back to this area if you want to contact me. I'll find you."   
  
Heero looked up to thank him, but Wufei was gone. 'Looks like I'll just have to get my answers from Quatre.'  
  
*~**~*  
  
Stark white walls and the constant stench of cleanliness made Heero's stomach do somersaults. The address wasn't an apartment complex; it was an institution. Heero had the distinct feeling that Quatre wouldn't give him any answers.  
  
Heero had snuck in the back, knocking out a doctor and removing him of his labcoat and the necessary authorization card to access this particular section of the building. The room he was looking for was in the heavy security ward. The door had a small panel that slid open to reveal a plastic window, no more than three by six inches. The Japanese pilot inhaled sharply.  
  
The room was a white cube. More like a cell that appeared twenty feet long, twenty feet white, and eight feet high. Black smudges were marring the white surface, and Heero realized it was charcoal. Some of the smudges were actual words; others looked like sketches. There were no windows other than the small plastic one on the door, and the source of the light in the room couldn't be determined. A mural stretched across the back wall; it depicted two mobile suits in the heat of battle, ending in the second one exploding in space. Another wall had various charcoal images of a young man, distorted and twisted with pain. It took Heero a few seconds to realize that the young man was Trowa, and the whole situation seemed to sink in. Heero had been to a similar battle in his own time, but he wasn't around for this one; this one had ended differently. The final wall that Heero could see had words scrawled all over it. There were smaller ones that had smudged beyond readibility, but the larger, repetitive ones Heero could read said "Something...something..." in sharp, jagged letters.  
  
Quatre himself was sitting in a corner, hugging his knees to his chest and rocking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. He looked thinner; there were dark circles under his eyes, and by the jerky motions he made, Heero could tell that the boy was on the edge, extremely paranoid and in a perpetual state of fear.  
  
Then Heero noticed the clipboard hanging in a tray off the door. He picked it up and glanced through the pages written in the practically illegible handwriting of a doctor.  
  
NAME: Quatre Raberba Winner  
AGE: 17  
GENDER: male  
DATE OF ADMISSION: 8/16/195  
REASON FOR ADMISSION: murder  
MENTAL ILLNESS(ES): extreme depression and paranoia, insomnia, high violent tendencies, guilt, suicidal tendencies, others that most likely haven't been observed yet  
  
Heero didn't bother to read the medication. They had Quatre on about a dozen different pills or treatments that most likely counteracted each other and made the boy worse off than he already was. 'Murder... Trowa actually died this time.' Heero slid the panel shut, not wanting to look at his friend. 'Saying that Quatre was upset when he *thought* he killed Trowa was an understatement; it was obvious they had feelings for each other, but now Trowa is actually dead.'  
  
["Was. Now there's only one: me."]  
  
"If Quatre's been committed and Trowa's dead, what happened to Duo?" Heero closed his eyes. 'Duo was scheduled for execution when Barge caught him; I had saved him. He's most likely dead, as well.' Heero reopened the panel. Quatre looked like a shadow of himself; he just looked so dead. Heero knew that none of them were particularly *sane*, but the fact that *his* life made the difference between life and death, sanity and insanity was unbelievable. "I'm sorry, Quatre," Heero whispered, closing the panel. "I need to find Wufei. I need to know what's happened...to everyone."  
  
*~**~*  
  
Tsuzuku  
  
[1] I *don't* know French! It's probably spelled wrong! Don't laugh at me; I'm a Spanish student!  
  
[2] Creative license. In Episode Zero, J said he liked the look in Heero's eyes and invited him for the training. I assumed that if Heero was never born, J never found the right kid, so he never succeeded in his part of Operation M. 


	3. Part Two

Title: A Chance to See - Part 2  
Author: Emily, roguegirl@att.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Warnings: shonen ai in the forms of 1+2+1 and alluded 3+4+3, language, contemplations of death, weird time-shifts and alternate universe situations, EW-OVA paraphrasing -=sweatdrop=-, angst (almost forgot that one)  
Notes: "Speech" - 'Thought' - *Emphasis* - [Flashback]  
Comments: While I am writing the story, the idea is actually Sharon's. Visit her site at www.zerotwofan.com and take a look around. -=coughdoujincoverscanscough=- It's sorta-kinda a fusion with "It's a Wonderful Life", but since I never saw the second half of the movie, there is no way in hell I could follow it. ^_^ If you like this genre, check out Yamato's "No Need For Heero" in the serious fic section of www.heerosferret.com (it's good; trust me). Without further ado, enjoy.  
  
"One man's life touches so many others, when he's not there it leaves an awfully big hole."  
  
"You've been given a great gift, George. A chance to see what the world would be like without you."  
  
~Clarence, "It's A Wonderful Life"  
  
*~**~*  
  
Wufei had found him again like he said he would. The Chinese pilot was hiding in an underground bunker back from the days of the ancient Cold War when nuclear weapons were the highest threat possible. The space was barely big enough for the two of them with the equipment Wufei had jammed in the tiny space. The walls were lined with what looked like aluminum foil to deter radar, but Heero had no idea how that would help. Wufei said it worked so far, so he wasn't going to question it.  
  
"Wufei...I need to know; what happened to everyone that I knew?"  
  
The other cut open a can with a multitool and started to eat the contents. "Well that depends. Who did you know? I can't guarantee that I'll know *everybody*, but I help where I can."  
  
Heero thought for a moment. "Relena."  
  
"Darlian?"  
  
Heero nodded.  
  
"Oh...she's dead. Lady Une had some warrant out for her; said the girl was too dangerous because of her ties to the Peacecraft family. I don't remember exactly; it was years ago."  
  
"...Dead?" 'Of course she would be, baka. You weren't around to protect her. You weren't around to protect *any* of them because of your damned thought thinking the world would be better off if you were never born. ZERO has one hell of a sense of humor.' Even though Heero knew that he wasn't in his real world, the fates that his friends seemed to have succumbed to without him was still a tough pill to swallow. "What happened to Treize and Zechs?"  
  
"Still alive, but they don't have any power. I think Zechs is Milliardo Peacecraft now and living in the Sanc Kingdom with Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin, but they haven't been bothering me, so I'm not keeping track. Treize is still a prisoner in Luxembourg because he wanted to be a *loser*." Wufei snorted. "If he wanted to lose why did he start this damn war to begin with? Romefeller just couldn't keep their slimy hands off the ESUN."  
  
"And Sally? Or Catherine and Hilde?"  
  
Wufei thought for a moment. "Dead; dead; OZ." He chewed thoughtfully once more. "Yeah, that seems about right. Sally's rebel group finally got caught; Catherine was devastated by Trowa's death and just gave up her will to live; Hilde's the woman I crossed path's with a few times. She doesn't like OZ, so I get stolen weapons from her."  
  
'She never met Duo and by the time she figured out how wrong OZ really was it became too late for her to get out.' "So you're a renegade; Quatre's insane; Trowa's dead; and I never existed. What happened to Duo?"  
  
Wufei stopped chewing and sobered up. "Um...it doesn't matter. We just need to figure out how to get you back to your own time so I we can all stop being miserable in this one." Wufei laughed dryly, causing Heero to narrow his Prussian blue eyes into a menacing glare.  
  
"*What* happened to *Duo*?"  
  
"I'd leave him alone if I were you; it wouldn't be wise to intrude his privacy. He doesn't let *me* talk to him anymore, and I'm really the only one left. Why would he talk to you if he doesn't even know who you are? That's even *less* of a reason for him to want to see you."  
  
"Nazenara ai shitemasu," Heero murmured under his breath, feeling himself start to blush at the realization of what he had just said.  
  
"What was that?" Apparently Wufei hadn't been paying close enough attention.  
  
"Uh...nothing..." Heero replied dumbly, staring intendedly at his feet.  
  
Wufei sighed, and leaned forward with his forearms against his thighs. "Listen. If you really *must* see Duo, I'll bring you to him, but I'm waiting outside, and you can't say that I didn't warn you. Deal?"  
  
"Deal."  
  
Wufei threw on a hooded trench cloak that hid his face and opened the door. "After me."  
  
*~**~*  
  
They came across a small wooden cabin in the middle of a forest about five miles south of Wufei's hideout. It was more of a rickedy old shack than a wooden cabin. Windows were hanging sideways and the door looked like it was about to split in two. Underbrush grew thick and tall all around the cabin, suggesting that no one had went in or left in a very long time.  
  
Wufei scaled a tree and sat between two of the branches. "I'll wait here and keep look out. You go on ahead."  
  
Heero looked at the cabin cautiously. 'Something isn't right here.' He rolled his eyes at the thought. 'No shit, Sherlock. *Nothing* is right in this *entire* alternate universe or whatever the hell it is.' He slowly opened the door. There was a small furnace with a fire going against one wall, a wooden plank on the floor that seemed to be serving as a table, and a dingy looking mattress against the other wall. Heero felt his breath hitch in his throat when he recognized the form lying on the mattress, shivering under a threat-bare blanket.  
  
Duo was curled in the fetal position. His skin was taunt; Duo had always been thin and lithe, but now he just looked small. There were scars that looked suspiciously like burns criss-crossing his hands and going up the sleeves of his customary priest uniform, but how far they went was hidden from Heero's view. Heero reached out to stroke the familiar braid to prove that this boy before him actually *was* the Duo he knew and loved, but quickly dropped the plait of hair. It was a third the length it was supposed to be.  
  
Heero gently stroked the back of his hand against Duo's face. He couldn't believe it was real. He just couldn't. Duo parted his lips and his breath became jagged wimpers. 'He's having a nightmare.' Momentarily forgetting the different circumstances, Heero lied down besides Duo and wrapped his arms around the other boy, trying to calm him, but the contact seemed to have the opposite effect. Duo's eyes shot open; they looked like bruises set against his pale skin. Duo didn't seem to notice that Heero was hugging him, and the boy took on a confused expression when he couldn't get loose from the strong grip he was so firmly held in. He craned his neck, and when amethyst met sapphire, his mouth dropped open and he screamed.  
  
The scream sounded more animal than human, and it was enough for Heero to jump away from Duo and Wufei to come racing into the small cabin. Duo was breathing heavily, on the verge of hyper-ventilating, and he looked like he was going to cry. 'That's ridiculous. Duo would never cry. Ever. Just as much as he wouldn't lie...'  
  
"*Maxwell*!" Wufei roared. "Get ahold of yourself and calm down!" Duo appeared to calm down in recognition of Wufei, but his actions still suggested that of a caged and wounded animal.  
  
"Wu-Wufei..." Duo looked back over at Heero, and the unadulterated fear in the violet orbs sent chills racking throughout his body. "Who the fuck are you and what the hell do you want!?"  
  
Heero didn't know how to answer. It was becoming too much. Duo, terrified and badly shaken from some horror that Heero was yet to find out about, living in a shack in the forest with no contact to the outside world whatsoever. Duo had such inner strength and spirit that the bruised and battered form of the boy in front of him made the mental connection between this other and the Duo he knew, the Duo he loved, nearly impossible.  
  
Heero had never been taught how to cry, and he wished he could as he ran from the cabin and into the woods to lose himself from this horrible world he wished himself into.  
  
*~**~*  
  
Wufei caught up with him minutes later. Heero was collapsed against a tree, sobbing and wishing he could mourn; wishing that his training could let him be fully human for just this one instant, but only dry, choking sounds were the closest he could get to actual tears.  
  
"Yeah...I warned you that it was bad..." Wufei said when Heero seemed to be done.  
  
"What happened to him?" Heero was surprised by even how quiet and distorted his own voice sounded.  
  
Wufei sat down in the moss across from him. "Duo got cocky. He knew that he was the best pilot out of all of us, and OZ was after him for such a long time. There was a price on his head; Duo was wanted dead or alive, but when he finally did get captured, death seemed to be too good of a punishment, so they locked him away. He was beaten, tortured, raped, starved...you name it he got it. His pride held out throughout, though; you apparently know how Duo was. It wasn't until they cut off his braid that he finally broke. The idiot kept all his identity in his hair. I don't know why. He should have hid it with something that couldn't be touched by others, but Duo put it in something tangible, and when he lost his braid, *he* went with it. When OZ and Romefeller took over the UESN, they let go all prisoners of war, and it took me months to find him. He wasn't taking care of himself at all; he was practically dying. Hell, he *is* dying. Those bastards that broke him didn't leave anything out. He has every single STD and STV possible. Nobody can touch him; he doesn't trust anybody anymore. I almost considered sending him away with Quatre, but that required revealing *my* location, and that's too risky."  
  
"Fuck..." was all Heero could manage. 'Duo...loving, caring, beautiful Duo... This is what happens to you? How is it that *you* are the only reason that I am not as miserable as I deserve to be when in retrospect *I* am the only person keeping you from suffering more than you already have?'  
  
"Yeah...fuck..." Wufei repeated.  
  
Heero looked at the sunlight peeking through the trees. It was the complete opposite of how he felt inside. 'That's what we were for each other, weren't we, Duo? The sunlight peeking through the cracks to offer warmth... How could I have been so stupid to reject you? I was afraid, Duo, but I promise you, I won't be any longer.'  
  
"So what are you going to do?"  
  
"I want to go back to my time now; I want to make things right again."  
  
*~**~*  
  
Tsuzuku 


	4. Epilogue

Title: A Chance to See - Epilogue  
Author: Emily, roguegirl@att.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Warnings: shonen ai in the forms of 1+2+1 and alluded 3+4+3, language, contemplations of death, weird time-shifts and alternate universe situations, EW-OVA paraphrasing -=sweatdrop=-, angst (almost forgot that one)  
Notes: "Speech" - 'Thought' - *Emphasis* - [Flashback]  
Comments: While I am writing the story, the idea is actually Sharon's. Visit her site at www.zerotwofan.com and take a look around. -=coughdoujincoverscanscough=- It's sorta-kinda a fusion with "It's a Wonderful Life", but since I never saw the second half of the movie, there is no way in hell I could follow it. ^_^ If you like this genre, check out Yamato's "No Need For Heero" in the serious fic section of www.heerosferret.com (it's good; trust me). Without further ado, enjoy.  
  
"One man's life touches so many others, when he's not there it leaves an awfully big hole."  
  
"You've been given a great gift, George. A chance to see what the world would be like without you."  
  
~Clarence, "It's A Wonderful Life"  
  
*~**~*  
  
Heero slowly sat up and blinked. He was back in Wing ZERO's cockpit, underwater and leaning into the safety harness. "ZERO...can you move? This will be your last battle; I promise." Heero turned the power back on and negotiated the suit into a standing position. ZERO was falling apart, but he had things to do. They wouldn't give up just yet.  
  
*~**~*  
  
"I repeat: You're compound is secure, is it not?"  
  
"Of course it is! See yourself just how powerless you truly are!"  
  
"Nimnu ryokai," Heero replied without hesitation. ZERO wasn't doing to good. The first shot shook the entire Gundam. The second caused Wing to lose an arm.  
  
["Niisan, are you lost?"]  
  
The third shot was on the mark, but Wing ZERO couldn't take it anymore as the angel Gundam fell to the ground. Heero heard the shouts of his comrades from faraway, but when the suit crashed to the ground, he still had a mission to accomplish.  
  
*~**~*  
  
"I've killed Mariemaia... I won't have to kill anymore..." Too tired to try to stay conscious, Heero let himself keel over, and briefly felt arms supporting his body before slipping into the void.  
  
*~**~*  
  
Beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...  
  
Heero groaned and opened his eyes. 'I'm in a hospital.'  
  
Beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...  
  
Reaching forward, Heero pulled the various electrodes and sensors off his body. He wasn't dead and didn't plan on dying anytime soon. He smirked at the machines as they started a monotone klaxon. They thought he was dead.  
  
Footsteps were heard hurrying in his direction, and Heero considered jumping out the window, but unfortunately he didn't have a death wish, this time, and Duo wasn't at his side strapping a parachute to his back. 'Duo...'  
  
"Oi, Heero, don't scare me like that! Kuso, I thought you were dead!"  
  
The Japanese pilot turned his head sharply. "Duo..."  
  
"The one and only," the braided pilot allowed an exaggerated grin and a mock bow. Heero smiled slightly in return. He slowly stood up, walking over to the other pilot, and running the back of his hand over Duo's face. 'This is the real Duo. I exist in this world, and Duo only deserves to be happy, now, in this one because I am here and that's what I was destined to do.' "He-Heero? Nani...?"  
  
"Duo...anata tanoshii desu. A-Ai shiteru." Heero placed one hand at the base of Duo's skull, the other cupping the side of his face. "Ai shiteru," he repeated, more surely this time.  
  
Duo's eyes went wide and he blinked owlishly. Heero probably would have laughed under different circumstances, but the utter joy that swept through those violet depths, rapidly replacing the confusion and nearly wiping away Heero's memory of the pure terror they once held in a different world, kept Heero from finding any humor in the situation. Duo's immediate confusion was explainable, anyway. Heero had only been cold-hearted to Duo before, and the braided American had told the shorter-haired pilot that he liked him; Heero just told Duo that he loved him.  
  
"Ai shiteru mo, Heero!" he gushed, and Heero felt himself lose all control as their lips met in a fiery kiss filled with previously denied love and passion.  
  
'My life isn't so bad afterall. Humans make mistakes; it's a natural part of life. Maybe now, we'll both be able to truly begin to live.'  
  
*~**~*  
  
Owari  
  
Eh. Noticed how I hurried the ending? I might go back and fix this one a little more... I'll see the movie first though, neh? Um...for the, like, entire beginning of this part I need to go rewatch EW because I just don't remember what happens in this last scene. -=sweatdrop=- Oh well. Hope you like! 


End file.
